Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I know I mentioned it in my last post, but just a reminder: tonight I'm at Shooter's Tavern in Belmont, and it's gonna be a low-key no-cover way to ring in the new. C'mon out if you're around! And if I don't see you, Happy New Year! I won't be raising a glass at midnight, 'cause I'm working. But my first order of business in '09 will be to drive home, crack open a barley wine, and get caught up.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Here comes 2009 whether you like it or not. Personally, I don't mind. '08 was a good constructive year, I suppose. It certainly had it's share of difficulties. I've got a good feeling about this next year though.

And it starts with a little run of shows, which always lightens my disposition. On New Year's Eve I'm playing a solo show at Shooter's Tavern and Pizzaria in Belmont. If you're looking for a nice low-key place to ring in the new year where you don't have to pay a cover or buy a button or stand outside, then you should come out to the bar with me.

New Year's Day is a solo show at The Country Cow in Campton. I was just there last night, actually; they've started a Monday open mic. I like that room. Still my favorite buffalo chicken.

On January 2nd, I'll be doing an afternoon show at the Cranmore ski area over in North Conway. I played for them a few times last season and it was always a blast.

Saturday 1/3 is a double: I'm back at the Masonic lodge in Holderness in the afternoon, and then it's off to the William Tell in Thornton for my early evening show.

I wish every week was like this. It's tough to stay consistently busy here in NH. It's probably the same was in most places, I guess. But the January schedule looks pretty good. I'm still open on Friday the 9th though. Anyone need a musician?

Monday, December 22, 2008

I played at Tallulah's on Sunday. It's one of the bars at the Ragged Mountain ski area. The commute was horrible, but I've never heard of a ski area gig being cancelled due to snow, so I left good and early and got there in time to set up and let fly. It was a good show, but a bit short; by 4:15 the place had pretty much cleared out. My buddy Bob came out to ski (and to watch the show), and he did me the favor of taking a picture of one of the schedule posters. It's nice to see my name on so many posters, even if they spelled it all wrong. It's a weird name, and it's rarely spelled correctly (Tyrrell). But this one was laughably bad.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

I won't be at the Country Cow as previously scheduled for this evening; it seems they double-booked the night. These things happen. The band Country Express is playing instead, and they're pretty good at what they do. The bass player is Steve Ainsworth, who plays in No Limitz (my classic rock cover band).

Having the night off frees me up to go out with the boys from (Who Are The) Brain Police. We'll be checking out some venues in central/southern NH tonight.

In other news, I've got a loop pedal coming in the mail today. If I can get the hang of using it, I'll have it out at this Saturday's show at the William Tell. I got to play with Chris Downing's Line 6 pedal for a couple weeks, and it was a lot of fun. The one I ordered is a Digitech, and it looks like it'll work pretty much the same way.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Tonight I'm playing a two-hour set at the brand-spankin' new location of VeggieArtGirl and Taylor Made Graphics. It's... well, check out the snappy ad. It tells you everything you need to know. :)

In other news, there's been no heat and no power at the studio for the better part of a week. Grr. I've got a couple recording projects I want to get going. Hopefully that gets fixed soon. I can keep my equipment in an unheated garage for free, after all.

In other other news, the New Orleans Saints are playing tonight, and if they lose to Chicago, their playoff chances will drop from 'very slim' to 'none at all'. Geaux Saints! I'd watch the game if it wasn't exclusive to the NFL Network. Grr again.

Monday, December 8, 2008

All month I tried to get back to Lago for their singer/songwriter night. They've moved to Mondays since I was there last, and it seems something has come up every Monday. Well tonight I'm the featured performer, so I'll be there for sure. I just didn't want to be that guy who shows up for the feature and then doesn't come around on the other nights. Hopefully I'll get down there for at least one more Monday this month. It really is a great venue, and the original music to be heard there is always good.

In other news, we went to Funspot over the weekend. I played (and got the high score on) the Donkey Kong machine that Steve Wiebe set the world record on. I only got 14k, but it was enough for 1st place. (They've obviously reset the machine since Mr. Wiebe's million-point effort.) There's a documentary about the record called The King Of Kong, and it was pretty entertaining. You can rent it (or stream it) from Netflix.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Suffice it to say things have been a little busy lately. And they're going to continue to be busy, but at least now I'm busy playing shows. Tomorrow night (Friday) I'm at Shooter's Tavern in Belmont, and on Saturday I get to start back up at The William Tell in Thornton.

In other news, I got to do some sledding with the family over the weekend, and we got the photo for this year's holiday card. Shannon had the best bail of the day: a full flip out of the inner tube. He talked about it all day. Awesome.

In other news, my PT Cruiser is dead. The timing belt went on it as I was driving home from Shooter's on Saturday night. Yesterday I went out and bought a 2005 Caravan, which my wife will drive the kids around in. I am inheriting the older Caravan that she was driving previously. So yeah, it's roomy enough for band gear and everything, but dammit, I drive a minivan now. It's like someone up there just doesn't want me to be a rock star or something. Well, come out tonight and help me prove him/her/it wrong.

Friday, November 14, 2008

I'm playing a solo show at The Corner House in Sandwich, NH tonight. It's a relatively early show: 6:30-9:30pm.

I like this room a lot; it's similar to the upstairs at The Common Man in Ashland. The food is always good, and I don't remember what the beer selection is like but I had a very nice Syrah there last time.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

I played at The Balsams over the weekend, taking Greg Goodwin's place in the Rick Erwin trio. While I was there I got to check out the room where Dixville Notch conducts the first vote in the nation. The results board was still up. Cool!

I don't do instrumental piano trio sets like these often, and it was a lot of fun. Here's a few tracks from the breakfast set we played this morning. As you can hear, the omelet station was right next to the band.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

There has been quite a push among my peers to get the vote out. Frankly, I wonder if this effort is anything more than the flavor of the month. I mean, what real weight does an uninformed vote actually have? Is it better to vote for someone because they have whiter teeth, or not to vote at all? And can a supporter of a particular candidate really honestly be interested in convincing others to vote regardless of their political leanings? I doubt that.

Still, while the effort may be flawed, the intentions are good. And I did vote this morning. I was there right when the line started to move at 8am. 37 minutes later I was headed back out to the car. The line was split alphabetically by last name: A-L to the right, and M-Z to the left. Interestingly, very few people were in the A-L line this morning. Anyone with an early last name had a considerably shorter wait. I had plenty of time in line to wonder about the logic involved in picking L/M as the point of division. And I have no grand conclusions to share with you.

Anyway, if you haven't voted yet, you probably ought to. It'd be way better if you knew something about what you were voting for. Either way, keep in mind that your vote is an endorsement of the campaign process as it exists. I was able to get past that and vote anyway, but I still feel like the piece of paper I handed in didn't come close to expressing my opinions on the whole thing.

Monday, November 3, 2008

The Country Cow was a good time, as usual. And the band had a lot of fun at the Seven Barrel Brewery on Halloween. I don't have pics yet, but I'll post something as soon as I get 'em. Rumor has it there may be some video too. I 'played' the first set in a straight jacket, and I did the rest of the show in a nun's habit. Sexy.

This coming Friday I'll be back at Shooter's Tavern in Belmont. On Saturday I'm playing a military appreciation event at the Masonic lodge in Holderness. I'll elaborate later this week.

Edit: as seen above, I did get a photo of the band in our regalia. Sexy!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Tonight is the Halloween show with (Who Are The) Brain Police. We're playing the 7 Barrel Brewery in West Lebanon. Here's another video from the July show we played there. There's not much to see in the video, but it's one of our favorite songs.

I don't have shows Saturday or Sunday, but that might not be a bad thing. I'm still fighting a bit of the cold that everyone up here seems to have, and I expect tonight's show to pretty much wipe me out. It's gonna be fun though.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

And not a moment too soon. I'm playing at The Country Cow in Campton tonight. The show starts at 7pm. It's the day before Halloween, but I don't think there's any holiday-based stuff happening there tonight. If I hear otherwise, I'll let you know.

I'm working on my costumes (yeah, that's right) for the 10/31 show at the 7 Barrel Brewery with (Who Are The) Brain Police. That's gonna be a silly good time.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Yeah, I hate to say it, but that's the most interesting thing happening today. Still, I made out like a bandit. I got a big ol' ham sandwich and a Vitamin Water at Wal-Mart. Total: $2.35.

Then I stopped at Second Comings, our local thrift shop. Found myself a nice new (to me) sweater for four bucks. Just in time for the snow! I mentioned that yesterday, and we didn't really see any. It looked like it might change over late last night, but the ground was bare this morning. It sure is cold enough now though. Maybe tonight.

Monday, October 27, 2008

We celebrated Halloween early with the in-laws this weekend. On Halloween night I'll be playing with (Who Are The) Brain Police at the mighty Seven Barrel Brewery. It promises to be a good time. I'm getting my costume sorted out today.

The night before that (Thursday, October 30), I'm playing a solo show at The Country Cow right here in Campton. Come on out for some Halloween pregame!

Friday, October 24, 2008

I just got a flat tire for the second time in a month, having run over some piece of junk in the road. This time, it looks like a piece of a bearing from a truck. Last time it was a muffler. Either someone is doing a sloppy job hauling scrap metal, or there's a bunch of cars in my area that are disintegrating in the street. Mine included, apparently. And the added bonus this morning: the spare is flat too. Didn't find that out until I put it on. Awesome.

In other news, I stopped at the open mic at The Common Man in Ashland last night, which was fun, but not particularly lucrative. Especially with car repairs figured in. So, if I can get the mid-life Chrysler back on the road by tonight, I'm gonna go out again and see if I can book some gigs. The business is real feast-or-famine up here. It's a little more even for me now than it was a few years ago, but October and November still take a Hell of a dip.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Here's a clip from a (Who Are The) Brain Police show in July. We'll be playing the 7 Barrel Brewery in West Lebanon, NH on Halloween night. It promises to be fun. And loud. And the beer they make at the 7 Barrel, oh my goodness. The RIP Stout is so good I wrote a song about it once. Anyway, the show starts at 10pm, and there's no cover.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Someone over at Song Fight suggested an INXS coverfight recently. I took part in a collaboration with Heuristics Inc. and Johnny Cashpoint, forming the internet supergroup The Tyrrell Corporation. We put together a BladeRunner-esque version of an INXS classic, and you can hear it right here.

Not too bad, for just having one SM58 pointed at the kit. And now that Mike Kim's band Boss Level has moved into the studio, there's a much nicer kit sitting there waiting to be recorded. So it'll only get better.

In other news, I don't have ANY shows on the books this week. That's going to change.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Whether or not you can tell from reading my blog, bad grammar and punctuation drive me NUTS. Except when I do it; then it's cute. Anyway, there's this blog called Apostrophe Catastrophes that I read, and I sent them a photo a while back, and they posted it today. Check it out!

In other news, things are slowing down considerably. I don't have a show on the books until next Thursday. Ouch. I'm hoping to plug something in this week, and I'll let you know if anything comes up. I got to do some studio work this weekend, which was a lot of fun. Chris Downing loaned me his loop pedal. I simply have to get one of those.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Oh man, I just had a bowl of Quisp. I've been wanting to do that for years. And it was pretty much as I remembered it. I found a couple boxes of the stuff at Big Lots before my show at Shooter's last night.

The show went well enough. Playing a show during a Red Sox playoff game is a pretty tough sell up here, but there was a large group that was there to celebrate a birthday, and they were on board with what I was doing.

I'm not hosting the open mic at the Sunset Grill tonight, but I may still stop by. I'm really hoping to get to the studio and start putting down a few musical ideas. I've been playing with one of my old guitars tuned down to... I'm not sure exactly how you'd describe it. I guess it's like regular tuning, but down in C. Sort of like a baritone guitar, I guess. I'd love to have one of those to play around with.

Friday, October 17, 2008

It's weird; Friday night and I don't have a show. I'm tempted to go out and look for work, but I'm pretty tired. I got together with a couple of the guys from No Limitz last night. We have a few shows coming up, but we're not nearly busy enough. Still, they got to check out the studio/practice space, and we'll be convening there next week for a musical go-around.

In other news, my New Year's Eve commitment is no more. I was going to sit in with the Undercover Operatives at The Margate in Laconia, but they've taken on a full-time keyboardist who is going to do the show with them. So, now I gotta find a place to play. I'd almost prefer to do a solo show, I guess. But we'll see what comes up.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

My Saturday night show this past weekend was at the William Tell in Thornton, on Rt. 49 out toward Waterville Valley. I've played a few shows there through the summer/fall, and starting in December I'll be there every Saturday through St. Patrick's day or so. It's a great room, and I get to do a lot of piano material. And the shows are comparatively early, too; the music starts at 6pm.

This coming weekend though, I'm playing a Saturday night show at Shooter's Tavern and Pizzaria in Belmont. That show is more of a guitar-driven affair. The Shooters Burger gets my high recommendation.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

This past Saturday I played an afternoon show with (Who Are The) Brain Police at Huberfest, the semi-official annual gathering at Bill Huber's place. It coincides with Warner's fall festival, so we had a lot of passersby to play for. Some of them even hung out for a while. Most of them just looked at us and wondered who wrote that Turning Japanese song.

(Who Are The) Brain Police are playing on Halloween night at the Seven Barrel Brewery. I'm looking forward to that one. We do heavier stuff; Toadies, AC/DC, Ramones, STP, Electric Six, that sort of thing. I'm working on getting the band back to Plymouth. They hosted the open mic at the Lucky Dog a few times, back when there was an open mic in that town.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Today my youngest son Sean turns two. We're having chicken nuggets and cake and presents, and grammy and grampy are coming over. He and his brothers (Andy and Shannon) are watching a new Spongebob DVD on the couch right now.

Tomorrow it's back to work; I've got a recording project to finish up. But for tonight, it's cake and cartoons.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Yesterday I took the family to the Sandwich Fair. Normally we try to go on closing day, when the crowds are a bit thinner. That wasn't an option this year, as I'm working at the day job today. So we found ourselves at a much busier event than normal, especially due to the fine weather we had this weekend. The kids had a good time though, and I got my annual plate of greasy fair food.

Then I hosted the open mic at the Sunset Grill. It went well enough, I suppose, but I was on stage the whole night. Susan Kominz was the only other musician to participate, and she doesn't play guitar when she comes out, so I accompanied her. It would certainly be a better open mic with more musicians. But the attendees were happy enough with the performance, and it was a welcome distraction from the dismal Patriots game. (My Saints had a good day against Oakland though.)

I'd wanted to attend the singer/songwriter night at Lago (they've moved to Mondays now), but I have to meet my friend Mike at the studio instead. He's going to move his band in there, and we'll split time/costs. Since I can't use the place full-time right now anyway, it works well for me.

Right now I'm getting the family ready to take a trip to the Sandwich Fair. And tonight I'll be hosting the open mic at the Sunset Grill. Busy little weekend. And it's not a long weekend for me; the day job is busy this time of year, so I've got to work on Monday.

Friday, October 10, 2008

The singer/songwriter show at Lago was just posted, and it sounds pretty good. You can stream (and/or download) the entire show at the Live at Lago podcast site. I played a few songs I don't normally perform live. Big Disco came out particularly nice. Also, Doug Thompson (from the band Worfield Circle) did a great set, and it was really nice to hear some of those songs performed live, having driven around for years listening to their CD. His music has a tasteful complexity that I try my best to put in my own songs. Maury Stauffer does a really cool song of distant family origin about the bobolinks in the corn, and Linden Mazurka runs the show and sounds amazing as usual.

Singer/songwriter night at Lago is moving to Mondays starting next week. I intend to be there for as many as I can manage. I will be the feature performer again in early December. Looking through the podcast history, I see several artists (Lisa Doscher, Audrey Drake, Eric Erskine, etc.) who have impressed me in the past. They've got a good thing going on over there.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

I've been kicking around an idea for this week's Song Fight, but I don't know if I'll get it finished in time. The title is 'In The Tank', and it's just begging for a good drinking anthem. And it's been way too long since I was in a fight. I'm not even sure I've done one since I got my tattoo, and that was St. Patrick's Day. Wow.

Last night I checked in at Hong Kong Garden in Plymouth. I think (Who Are The) Brain Police are gonna do a show there soon. The stage is kind of small, but other than that it looks like it's worth a try.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I finally ripped down a few tracks from the Cancer Walk show the trio played on September 20. You can hear 'em right here.

Last night's show at Lago went well, I thought. I'll be the feature performer again in early December, and I'll probably attend most of the shows between now and then. They're moving to Mondays starting next week.

Tonight I'm following up on a couple leads, and trying to get enough sleep to nip this oncoming cold in the bud.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

I practiced with (Who Are The) Brain Police last night. It had been a few weeks. We've got an afternoon show this Saturday, playing a house/yard/keg party at Warner Old Home Day. This band is so much fun for me; I get to play my electric guitar and sing stuff by Primus, Toadies, Stone Temple Pilots, AC/DC, and like that.

Immediately after that show I'll be headed up to The William Tell to play my regularly scheduled piano bar gig. That one starts at 6pm.

Tonight though, I'm the featured performer at Lago's singer/songwriter night. I get to do a full set of original stuff. I'm wearing a few different hats these days, but that's what you've got to do if you're going to stay busy as a musician up here. Maybe that's how it is everywhere, I don't know. I haven't been everywhere yet.

Kathryn was at my William Tell show a month or so ago, and she drew this picture and gave it to me. Awesome.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Last night's open mic was an interesting one. I was pretty concerned about how good-natured the crowd at the Sunset Grill would be, since they'd probably want to listen to the Red Sox game instead. It actually ended up being a really good night. There were not many other musicians, so I played a lot. It was very well-received. I did Sweet Caroline a couple times, of course, and I even threw Dirty Water in there as the game crept into extra innings. I don't have a show tonight, so I won't be competing with Jon Lester trying to close out the series.

Today I'm putting together a rough set list for tomorrow's show at Lago. It's the singer/songwriter open mic, and I'm the featured artist. Linden Mazurka (the host) will go on at 8:30 and play a few songs, and then I get a generous time slot. The venue features strictly original music, and isn't that a breath of fresh air. I don't get to do many shows like this. After my set, the stage opens to any other musicians who want to take a turn, so if you're inclined, bring your guitar and play!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

I was able to invite a couple musician friends to the stage last night at Shooter's. I met Don Watson (pictured) earlier this week at Lago, and he came out to my show, so I handed him the guitar and took a break for a few songs. The guy's good. I won't be surprised to see him playing there again. I got a copy of his CD, but I haven't listened to it yet. What I've heard on his web site (and in person) has a real nice Jim Croce style to it.

My old friend Jon Gellert came by too, and I got him to sing a couple songs with me. I hope to get him into the studio sometime soon, 'cause he's got a great voice.

I think I'm going back to the open mic at Giuseppe's tonight. I really want to give that digital grand piano another shot. The breadsticks are pretty damn good too.

UPDATE: Guess I'm not going to Giuseppe's tonight after all. I just got a call to host the open mic at The Sunset Grill tonight (and next Sunday) right here in Campton. My breadstick fix will have to wait. Come out to the Grill, listen to some music, and watch the Sox win game 3!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

This morning I reacquainted myself with an old favorite Saturday morning activity: watching cartoons. The boys and I hunkered on the couch and they had waffles (I had a bagel) and we watched some Spongebob. I'd have preferred Looney Tunes myself, but any port in a storm, y'know?

I hardly ever watch TV anymore. I'm online every day, and the computer screen is enough of a time sink, I guess. I get the impression I'm not missing much. We unplugged the cable back in 1998. Wow, ten years. The only thing I really miss is being able to watch the football game (geaux Saints!).

Tonight I'm playing at Shooter's Tavern. Thankfully, the Red Sox are on a travel day. If game 3 of the playoffs was tonight, they'd probably just cancel the show outright. That can be a tough room during a regular-season game. I wouldn't mees with that crowd during the playoffs. Anyway, if you're in the Belmont area, come on out. :)

Friday, October 3, 2008

Well, one store anyway. Yesterday I got the call: the good folks at Music For A Song in Tilton, NH got approval to carry my album Permanent Record. I drove down last night and dropped off a few copies, and now my CD can be purchased in a music store. How 'bout them apples?

I'm working on setting a date to do an in-store set. I'll keep you posted.

As for tonight, I don't have a show. Which is a bit odd for a Friday. I've got a couple projects going in the studio that I'd like to put some time into, but I'm likelier to just try to catch up on some sleep.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I played for that bus tour at The Margate last night. It was kind of a quiet night, but it went well enough. Tonight I'm probably going to stop in at the open mic at The Common Man. It's important to keep going to open mics, to stay connected with other musicians and to hear about opportunities and such.

I've just confirmed a show for No Limitz next month. We'll be at the Elks in Littleton, NH on the 22nd of November. Our last practice went real well; we worked out a lot of new material. I hope that band can start to put a semi-regular schedule together again.

Of course, I'm still looking to fill holes in the schedule, either solo or with one of the bands. If you have (or know of) the need for some live music, drop me a line. Saturdays are mostly taken up already though.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

I got to attend the open mic at Lago in Meredith last night. It's a nice place, all right; I'd never been there before. Linden (the guy who runs the show) opened with a few songs, and then the featured performer for the evening (Don Watson) took the stage. Nice material from that guy.

I played a short set, and Linden offered me the feature spot next week. Nice! So I'll be there next Tuesday. Come out if you can. And if you can't. keep an eye on the podcast page, 'cause I'll be on there eventually. :)

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

How strange. Turns out my own show was postponed last night! I was scheduled to play for a group coming in by tour bus at The Margate. Apparently the bus broke down in New Jersey. So we've moved the show to this Wednesday.

So last night was spent in the studio, with a bit of extra time at the day job. Things are kind of busy there right now, so it's just as well I was able to put an extra hour or two in.

Tonight I'm thinking about checking out an open mic at Lago in Meredith. It's strictly original material, and that's pretty unique around here. Hope I can work out a trip down there.

Monday, September 29, 2008

I was supposed to see the Crunchy Western Boys on the Second Stage at Meadowbrook last night, 'opening' for Sugarland. When we got there we found out the show was postponed. So Stacey and her dad and I found ourselves in the Lakes Region with nothing to do. I suggested we check out the open mic at Giuseppe's over in Meredith, and so we did.

I hadn't played the open mic there in quite a few years. Lou Porrazzo has been the host there for a long time, and it was good to see him again. Since the last time I'd been there, they've put in a new piano - a Kawai digital baby grand. It was gorgeous. But other than the piano, the place was pretty much like it had been twenty years ago when I was just starting to play out. Oh, I guess twenty years ago I had more hair.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

A few hours before my show at The William Tell, smoke started pouring from the front driver-side wheel well. I limped the car to the shop, where they told me it's probably a caliper, and they can't do anything until Monday. With a bit of good luck (and an extremely generous friend) I was able to borrow a car, get the gear switched over, and get to my show on time.

The show went well, actually. A little tough to focus at first, but once I got into it, it was business as usual. Lots of Billy Joel and Elton John. It was well-attended too, and I was able to fill the gas tank of the Blazer I borrowed with tip jar money. Good thing; these car repairs have set me back a bit, and the next few months are looking pretty lean as it is.

Anyway, after my show I stopped by The Lucky Dog to see the Stema/Spyboy reunion show. It was seriously like walking into a room and finding myself back in 1990. The bands were spot-on, and the crowd was full of so many distantly familiar faces. The whole experience was a gift from the past. Just what I needed at the end of this day.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Looks like it's gonna be a rainy weekend. I don't know about you, but I'm spending it at the bar. Tonight I'm playing a solo show at Shooter's Tavern in Belmont, NH. The show starts at 8pm, and goes until about 11. I've got sheets for a lot of new songs to try out tonight. I'm gonna give a few of them the ol' test run today, and we'll see what I can get away with.

Tomorrow (Saturday) I'll be at The William Tell in Thornton from 6pm to 9pm, and then I think I'm stopping in at The Lucky Dog in Plymouth to see the Stema and Spyboy reunion show. Lots of old friends coming into town for that one.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The urge (maybe even the ability) to write comes and goes. Spring and fall seem to be more productive. That might be due to the slowdown in the show schedule, I don't know. Anyway, I'm coming into it now, and it's frustrating. Because it doesn't come as a flood of ideas, it comes simply as the URGE to have a flood of ideas.

So it's my job to keep the muse well-fed. I'm listening to a lot of different stuff these days, and allowing it to influence my work. I'll worry later about whether the results are too derivative. For now, I just want to try to compose some stuff that moves me, and that speaks the idea as soon as it arrives, without too much distillation or second-guessing. Of course, if it were easy to do I'd be doing that instead of sitting here writing about writing.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The show schedule slows down in Sep/Oct/Nov, so I get to spend some time going around to clubs and looking for new gigs. I've had pretty good luck the last couple days, and I should be posting some new shows soon.

I have solo shows this weekend though. Friday I'm at Shooter's Tavern in Belmont, and Saturday I'm back at The William Tell in Thornton. I love the Tell shows because they're heavy on the piano stuff.

And I've got this one big gig opportunity that's still not quite official, so I can't announce it. Suffice it to say it'll be the biggest thing I've ever done if it goes through. Fingers crossed.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

This is a song that will be on the next CD, whenever that is. I didn't have time to get it recorded for Permanent Record. This performance is from the 7/15/08 Second Stage show at Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion, where the trio 'opened' for Weird Al Yankovic.

Most of the songs from that show can be seen over at the ol' Youtube. It was a good show. We didn't get to meet Weird Al, though. We did meet R2-D2, so that's something.

Monday, September 22, 2008

I did a cover of Nathaniel's Song (by the band For Squirrels) recently. It's part of a project over at TheSixtyOne.com, where a bunch of us are covering the whole For Squirrels repertoire as a show of support for a guy there who goes by the name of Supergrover. You can check out the story (and the song) right here.

In other news, the open mic went pretty well last night. It was fairly well attended by drinkers, but only one other musician showed up. So, as usual, I played a lot. I got to try out some new stuff, and I hit on a couple songs that went better than expected, so that was nice.

No shows for me until this coming Friday. I'm hoping to get back in the studio this week; I feel like I've finally got the setup dialed in, and now I wanna play with it. :)

Sunday, September 21, 2008

I'd go back to bed if I thought I could sleep. Unfortunately, I've never been able to find the alarm button on my biological clock. But yesterday was another longer-than-expected affair. I got to the Cancer Walk to find that the afternoon band had cancelled. So the Jim Tyrrell Trio played our original slot, and then I did a solo set right up until I had to drive down to Shooter's for the evening show. And somehow, in September in New Hampshire, I managed to get myself a pretty good sunburn in the process. I'm not very skilled at being outside.

But the Cancer Walk was, of course, fantastic. There were a lot of walkers, and quite a few people donating their hair to the Locks Of Love program. It's a great event, and I'll be there next year.

I've got the day today to get myself back on track. I see a trip to the studio (and maybe a nap) in my future. Tonight I'm hosting Open Mic night at the Sunset Grill in Campton.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

I took full advantage of my Friday night off, and stopped in at a bunch of venues between Plymouth and the seacoast. My travels took me to Dover, where Johnny Doogan was playing the Dover Brick House. A band called When Geeks Unite opened the show, and I dug 'em. Johnny Doogan was fantastic. I recorded their set. They closed with Godzilla. Awesome. A band called Saluting The Rockies closed the show, and I didn't get to hang around for their full set, but they were super tight and loud and good.

Long ride home. Some unlucky driver hit an unlucky moose on Route 4. I got in around 3am. Rock 'n Roll!

Back at it today, though: at 2pm the trio is playing the Cancer Walk, and tonight is a solo show at Shooter's Tavern in Belmont.

Friday, September 19, 2008

I ended up on three different stages last night. The show at The Country Cow was pretty good, if sparsely attended. Thursdays are hit-or-miss over there, and this one just happened to be a quiet one. That's a great room though. I'll be back there on October 30. And the buffalo chicken was as good as it always is. Sweet potato fries, too. Mmm.

After the show I went out to Bullwinkle's in Ashland to meet up with Steve Hinchey, the guitarist from No Limitz. He and his crew were doing some karaoke, and I hung around for a while. I like karaoke. The bar patrons weren't really into my Offspring cover, but whatever.

Then it was off to the open mic at The Common Man, where Jay Moskowicz and Jim McHugh were finishing up a set. There were no other musicians lined up, so they asked me to play for a while. I love that room. They're always interested in the original stuff, which is a nice break from the Margaritaville bit.

Tonight is my first Friday night off since the 13th of June. I'm gonna go check out a few venues down south, I think. There's a couple bands playing tonight that I've wanted to see.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

It was a much better night in the studio. I came out of there (way later than expected) with the best-sounding tracks I've recorded yet. I felt like laying down some funk because I recently listened to the first Commodores album (Machine Gun, I think it was called) and I was really impressed. I don't have lyrics for this new piece, but the music came out pretty good.

But enough messing around with that; I've got a show to play. Tonight I'll be at The Country Cow right here in Campton, playing from 7pm to 10pm or thereabouts. It's not too early to start the weekend, is it?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

I do love the new studio space. Can I still call it new? My six-month lease is almost up. I'll be re-upping on that for sure. For one thing, I don't know where I'd put everything if I decided to move.

But man, I gotta put some work into the monitors. They're apparently placed all wrong, because what sounds good in the studio does NOT translate well to other sound systems.

Right now I'm working on a cover of a song by the band For Squirrels. It's for a project over at TheSixtyOne. I'm happy enough with the takes I recorded, but the mixdown is still a problem. So it looks like I'm going back tonight to give it another try, after I move the furniture around a bit.

If I can get my flat tire fixed in time, that is. I ran over someone's muffler in the road on the way home last night, and I woke up to a flat. The car was in the shop all day yesterday, too. Grr.

UPDATE: Man that was expensive. The tire couldn't be saved, so the whole thing ended up being over 200 bucks, with road service figured in. Ouch. Anyone need a musician tonight?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

This Saturday (September 20) the Jim Tyrrell trio is playing a set at the Cancer Walk in Plymouth. We'll be on the outdoor stage from 2:00-3:30pm. I urge you to participate in the walk if you can, as it's obviously for a good cause, and it's a whole lot of fun. This is my third year with them, and it's been a great time each time.